Hey, it's a start. And it just may show that there's a puncher's chance for Harskins to turn the corner, if he can cobble together a winning season this '22.
I make no forecasts. But neither am I booing legit efforts by my coach.
E5
Coach Bryan Harsin talks to his team after practice in Jordan Hare Stadium. Auburn AU scrimmage on Friday, March 25, 2022 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU AthleticsTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics
By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com
The look on Colby Wooden’s face said it all as he tilted his head to the side, shook it in disbelief and stared blankly into the camera.
The Tigers were set to run stadium decks last month as winter workouts started to wind down. Head coach Bryan Harsin prescribed eight of them for the team as he gathered players in the indoor practice facility before they jogged en masse through the Beard-Eaves Coliseum parking lot and across Samford to the southwest corner of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Few seem enthused by the challenge ahead. Keiondre Jones begrudgingly described the workout as “out of pocket.” Other players simply shook their heads. That is, until they walked into the lobby of the Harbert Recruiting Center at the stadium, where they were greeted with not stadium decks but rather pancake stacks — and bacon, and eggs and beignets.
Harsin smiled, laughing and clapping at his players. Linebacker Wesley Steiner let out a celebratory “woo!” Edge rusher Derick Hall jumped up and down in excitement. Cornerback Jaylin Simpson exalted: “What a surprise.”
It was a moment of reprieve for Auburn players during a somewhat tumultuous offseason, and it was one that resonated with them as well. During the university’s February inquiry into Harsin’s handling of the program, one of the complaints lobbied against the coach by some former players was his inability to relate to them beyond football. This, it seemed, was an effort by Harsin to work on those relationships within the team.
“I feel like those things bring the team together closer,” defensive lineman Marcus Harris said. “He’s showing them that he actually cares about us, too — if they didn’t see that before.”
Harsin isn’t completely changing who he is. He’s still the same demanding coach who is driven by the desire to compete and win. His practices and offseason workouts — like the grueling stadium decks — are still intense and challenging, but the 45-year-old has shown a willingness to do more to connect to his team away from the X’s and O’s of the game.
Take last weekend, for example, when Harsin surprised the team during an in-stadium practice with a visit from Louisiana-based musician Lah Griddy. After the Tigers finished warming up on their first day in full pads, Harsin called on Simpson and quarterback T.J. Finley to step forward. Some players thought the two were about to go heads-up, one-on-one, but something felt off; contact is being limited for quarterbacks, so Finley being called upon made little sense.
Then out came Lah Griddy, accompanied by a giant boombox, and he began to do his signature dance. Players took turns showing off their rendition of the dance. Harsin shouted that everybody had to do it, himself included.
“I feel like it makes him more relatable,” Harris said. “It just shows that he’s trying more. I could tell when I first came, it was just, like, football. I’m used to that football mindset, but you never know how other people might take that. They probably took it the wrong way, like he didn’t care about them. But in actuality, he was just trying to win and getting the program up, because he’s a new coach.
“He’s got to put his foot down and let everybody know that he’s not a run-over coach. He’s a serious coach. But I saw it when he first came here.”
Bryan Harsin laments "social media mob," discusses lingering "scars" after Auburn's offseason drama
Auburn coach Bryan Harsin discussed what the offseason investigation into his program was like, and where things stand for the Tigers as they begin spring practice during an appearance on The Next Round radio show.
The February probe by the university threw Harsin’s future into flux for more than a week. When the query was completed, Harsin was retained as head coach. The whole ordeal, Harris said, brought the team closer together. Players have rallied around Harsin and are looking to parlay that into a collective step forward in Year 2 following five straight losses to close last season.
After nearly losing his job, Harsin has seemingly taken some of the criticisms of his first season to heart. He said at the onset of spring practice that he learned a lot from the last year, as well as from the drama of the prior month and a half.
For all the negativity that came from that situation, Harsin found positives in the experience and wanted to develop and grow from it.
That has been noticeable with his team, with Harris noting that players expressed to him this offseason how others perceived his demanding style as a coach. That much hasn’t changed; Harsin still expects what he expects from his players and his staff. As he tries to change the culture and build back the program, Harsin is still demanding accountability and timeliness from his players, which Harris said was lacking from some last season.
But Harsin is working to strengthen the bonds with his players, too, with more honest and open communication. It’s a two-way street.
“I feel like he’s been doing more,” Harris said. “…He kind of sees where we’re coming from now and sees where the other coaches are coming from, so he’s trying for that reason—not just because of the situation that happened.”
Some of that, Harsin said, has simply come with time. Some of it has been easier because of fewer of the health and safety restrictions that were in place when he took over the program at the height of the pandemic. It’s easier now to be around the players, to have them over for dinner or to arrange group outings, like the team paintball excursion last month (“a really, really good idea,” Harsin said, “until the last game, when the whole team decided that the coaching staff were the enemies. So, we retreated.”)
“One thing with our guys, and I wouldn’t say it’s just me, but our players too: We know each other better,” Harsin said. “We’ve spent more time (together)…. I really think our coaches are doing a really good job of connecting with our players, and those guys that now have been in our systems are coming in, and they’re seeing this is how we want to do things; here’s some stuff that we can do to get better. So, I don’t think it’s really one thing in particular. I think it’s everybody. I think we got some good leaders on this team.”
Harsin lauded the leadership of guys like Hall, Owen Pappoe, John Samuel Shenker, Nick Brahms and Kilian Zierer, but it has been a collective effort from the top down to build a more cohesive locker room this offseason — an environment where players aren’t afraid to speak their mind and address concerns.
It’s a healthier dynamic, and while the player leadership has been vital, so too has been Harsin’s concerted effort to be better at communicating with his players and relating to them more. That was missing last season, even if Harsin didn’t realize it at the time.
“Coach Harsin, he hates losing; he tries to do everything he can do to help us win — any shape or form,” Harris said. “But it’s the little things, like asking us how our day was or getting to know us as people. He’s trying to do anything that he knows will help us or help him. Asking us questions like that, we’ll start trusting him more.
“What player wouldn’t want to play for a coach like Coach Harsin? He works you hard when you need to be worked hard. When you don’t, he’ll still check on you and ask you how your family is doing. That’ll make you want to play for him even more.”
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.
I make no forecasts. But neither am I booing legit efforts by my coach.
E5
Bryan Harsin ‘more relatable’ to Auburn players this spring after offseason investigation
Published: Mar. 26, 2022, 10:31 a.m.
Coach Bryan Harsin talks to his team after practice in Jordan Hare Stadium. Auburn AU scrimmage on Friday, March 25, 2022 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU AthleticsTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics
By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com
The look on Colby Wooden’s face said it all as he tilted his head to the side, shook it in disbelief and stared blankly into the camera.
The Tigers were set to run stadium decks last month as winter workouts started to wind down. Head coach Bryan Harsin prescribed eight of them for the team as he gathered players in the indoor practice facility before they jogged en masse through the Beard-Eaves Coliseum parking lot and across Samford to the southwest corner of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Few seem enthused by the challenge ahead. Keiondre Jones begrudgingly described the workout as “out of pocket.” Other players simply shook their heads. That is, until they walked into the lobby of the Harbert Recruiting Center at the stadium, where they were greeted with not stadium decks but rather pancake stacks — and bacon, and eggs and beignets.
Harsin smiled, laughing and clapping at his players. Linebacker Wesley Steiner let out a celebratory “woo!” Edge rusher Derick Hall jumped up and down in excitement. Cornerback Jaylin Simpson exalted: “What a surprise.”
It was a moment of reprieve for Auburn players during a somewhat tumultuous offseason, and it was one that resonated with them as well. During the university’s February inquiry into Harsin’s handling of the program, one of the complaints lobbied against the coach by some former players was his inability to relate to them beyond football. This, it seemed, was an effort by Harsin to work on those relationships within the team.
“I feel like those things bring the team together closer,” defensive lineman Marcus Harris said. “He’s showing them that he actually cares about us, too — if they didn’t see that before.”
Harsin isn’t completely changing who he is. He’s still the same demanding coach who is driven by the desire to compete and win. His practices and offseason workouts — like the grueling stadium decks — are still intense and challenging, but the 45-year-old has shown a willingness to do more to connect to his team away from the X’s and O’s of the game.
Take last weekend, for example, when Harsin surprised the team during an in-stadium practice with a visit from Louisiana-based musician Lah Griddy. After the Tigers finished warming up on their first day in full pads, Harsin called on Simpson and quarterback T.J. Finley to step forward. Some players thought the two were about to go heads-up, one-on-one, but something felt off; contact is being limited for quarterbacks, so Finley being called upon made little sense.
Then out came Lah Griddy, accompanied by a giant boombox, and he began to do his signature dance. Players took turns showing off their rendition of the dance. Harsin shouted that everybody had to do it, himself included.
“I feel like it makes him more relatable,” Harris said. “It just shows that he’s trying more. I could tell when I first came, it was just, like, football. I’m used to that football mindset, but you never know how other people might take that. They probably took it the wrong way, like he didn’t care about them. But in actuality, he was just trying to win and getting the program up, because he’s a new coach.
“He’s got to put his foot down and let everybody know that he’s not a run-over coach. He’s a serious coach. But I saw it when he first came here.”
Bryan Harsin laments "social media mob," discusses lingering "scars" after Auburn's offseason drama
Auburn coach Bryan Harsin discussed what the offseason investigation into his program was like, and where things stand for the Tigers as they begin spring practice during an appearance on The Next Round radio show.
The February probe by the university threw Harsin’s future into flux for more than a week. When the query was completed, Harsin was retained as head coach. The whole ordeal, Harris said, brought the team closer together. Players have rallied around Harsin and are looking to parlay that into a collective step forward in Year 2 following five straight losses to close last season.
After nearly losing his job, Harsin has seemingly taken some of the criticisms of his first season to heart. He said at the onset of spring practice that he learned a lot from the last year, as well as from the drama of the prior month and a half.
For all the negativity that came from that situation, Harsin found positives in the experience and wanted to develop and grow from it.
That has been noticeable with his team, with Harris noting that players expressed to him this offseason how others perceived his demanding style as a coach. That much hasn’t changed; Harsin still expects what he expects from his players and his staff. As he tries to change the culture and build back the program, Harsin is still demanding accountability and timeliness from his players, which Harris said was lacking from some last season.
But Harsin is working to strengthen the bonds with his players, too, with more honest and open communication. It’s a two-way street.
“I feel like he’s been doing more,” Harris said. “…He kind of sees where we’re coming from now and sees where the other coaches are coming from, so he’s trying for that reason—not just because of the situation that happened.”
Some of that, Harsin said, has simply come with time. Some of it has been easier because of fewer of the health and safety restrictions that were in place when he took over the program at the height of the pandemic. It’s easier now to be around the players, to have them over for dinner or to arrange group outings, like the team paintball excursion last month (“a really, really good idea,” Harsin said, “until the last game, when the whole team decided that the coaching staff were the enemies. So, we retreated.”)
“One thing with our guys, and I wouldn’t say it’s just me, but our players too: We know each other better,” Harsin said. “We’ve spent more time (together)…. I really think our coaches are doing a really good job of connecting with our players, and those guys that now have been in our systems are coming in, and they’re seeing this is how we want to do things; here’s some stuff that we can do to get better. So, I don’t think it’s really one thing in particular. I think it’s everybody. I think we got some good leaders on this team.”
Harsin lauded the leadership of guys like Hall, Owen Pappoe, John Samuel Shenker, Nick Brahms and Kilian Zierer, but it has been a collective effort from the top down to build a more cohesive locker room this offseason — an environment where players aren’t afraid to speak their mind and address concerns.
It’s a healthier dynamic, and while the player leadership has been vital, so too has been Harsin’s concerted effort to be better at communicating with his players and relating to them more. That was missing last season, even if Harsin didn’t realize it at the time.
“Coach Harsin, he hates losing; he tries to do everything he can do to help us win — any shape or form,” Harris said. “But it’s the little things, like asking us how our day was or getting to know us as people. He’s trying to do anything that he knows will help us or help him. Asking us questions like that, we’ll start trusting him more.
“What player wouldn’t want to play for a coach like Coach Harsin? He works you hard when you need to be worked hard. When you don’t, he’ll still check on you and ask you how your family is doing. That’ll make you want to play for him even more.”
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.
